


A Voice in the Din

by reliablyimperfect



Series: Sound of Silence [4]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Angst, Cute, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Football | Soccer, Jamie!Verse, M/M, Niall has a daugter, No Smut, Selectively Mute Character, Sensory Processing Disorder, because that's all I write apparently
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:46:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26819761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reliablyimperfect/pseuds/reliablyimperfect
Summary: While the crowd was still murmuring with excitement from the goal, Liam was jostled as Jamie’s hand was pulled from his. Turning to make sure everything was okay, he caught sight of a young girl probably around Jamie’s age pulling on his other arm.“This is boring. Come play on the playground with me!” She grinned at him. Jamie stumbled half a step towards her as he was tugged. Just as Liam was about to intervene, Jamie nodded.“O-Okay,” Jamie told her.
Relationships: Zayn Malik/Liam Payne
Series: Sound of Silence [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/703434
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	A Voice in the Din

**Author's Note:**

> J and L focus, sometimes from “their” POV, but not in first person.  
> As an FYI, essentially anything that Liam, Zayn, or Serrano voices is also signed. Occasionally, especially after Lucas has been out of the room for a bit, I will reiterate it, so your imagination matches what I had imagined. (Does everyone do that? Visualise the things they’re reading? No? Just me?  
> Awkward…
> 
> As Lucas wears his implant more consistently, his speech will gain intelligibility. Right now, though, he has what is known as ‘deaf speech,’ which is difficult to understand if you are not familiar with deaf people or that person specifically. When I type what Lucas is voicing, it will NOT resemble English at all. However, keep in mind that he will be signing at the same time. I’ve tried to keep it consistent to, when he voices something that isn’t easily understood, the person who he is speaking to with rephrase what he said. PLEASE let me know if it is confusing at all. I just wanted to stay true to Deafness. (:  
> Also, this story is set about two years after the events of Dare to Speak, so Jamie is 10 and Lucas is 8.
> 
> Fun Fact!  
> A bit of signing education for my readers: when writing out words that are signed, if words are hyphenated, (i.e. don’t-want or pay-attention) means it’s a one sign phrase. So, the phrase ‘pay attention’ has only one sign.

When Zayn joined Liam on the couch, both of their boys were sprawled out on the carpet, talking and giggling. A half-hearted glance in the boys’ direction that Liam rolled his eyes at had Zayn flopping down next to his husband. They had settled on a Disney movie, per Lucas’ request.

“Hey,” Zayn called. Both boys whipped their heads around to face Zayn, and Zayn saw the familiar black device that curled around Lucas’ ear. He had his implant on, so he’d heard him. “Movie is starting.” Zayn told them, signing as he spoke. The boys instantly quieted down, settling against the pillows they had dragged down from their respective beds.

“Baba,” Lucas’ familiar voice caught Zayn’s attention as the opening scene began, and he looked at his younger son. They had adopted him officially about six months ago, and, now that he was eight, he had become comfortable enough with his new family to think of each of them as his fathers and Jamie his brother.

“Yes, Lucas?”

“Mo-e -iI’le wha’?” He voiced, signing.

“Lucas,” Jamie called. Lucas spun to look at the slightly older boy.

“The movie title is T-O-Y S-T-O-R-Y 1!” Jamie told the boy, answering his question. He showed him the sign for each word, and Lucas copied.

Liam and Zayn glanced at each other over their sons’ heads while they continued their conversation. The silent conversation between the two of them said everything. In addition to being exceptionally proud of Lucas and how far his speech had come in the past two years, they were also proud of Jamie, and how easily he had accepted Lucas into their family. It had taken a lot longer than expected for Jamie to open up enough to feel comfortable voicing around his brother, but once he had started, it _never_ stopped. Frequently, Zayn or Liam found them both curled in bed with each other late at night.

So, they were proud of their kids. Immensely proud.

As the movie progressed, Zayn found his eyes wandering to Liam. He seemed, somehow, more intrigued than the kids, even though Zayn knew his husband knew practically every line from this movie series. While distracted watching Liam mouth each word to the scene playing, Zayn acknowledged the fact that the boys had started a conversation. Now, they weren’t paying any attention to the movie. It made both men jump when Lucas groaned and flung his hands up dramatically in response to something his brother had told him. Jamie ducked to dodge his flailing hands with a chuckle. Lucas collapsed back onto his pillow, the impact of which dislodged his implant from the side of his head. He tapped Zayn’s shin.

‘Don’t-mind hold?’ Lucas signed. He held out his implant to Zayn who simply shrugged.

‘Put-on counter or plug-in,’ Zayn replied. ‘I don’t-want hold.” Another dramatic flail was Zayn’s only response, but the boy did as he was told.

“Baba, Baba, Baba, Baba, _Baba_!” Jamie’s voice got more and more exasperated the longer Zayn ignored him.

“J, I told you to be _patient_ ,” Zayn sighed, rubbing his face.

“I’m _bored_.”

“I said you can go outside and play.” Jamie turned to face out the window, and he pressed his face to the glass. Movement at the door caught Zayn’s attention, and he threw a helpless look at Louis as he walked into the room. Just as Louis opened his mouth to talk, Jamie interrupted him, still facing the window as he gazed forlornly at the playground.

“No kids ou’side, Baba.” Jamie said in a _duh_ voice. Tense, Zayn prepared for when Jamie turned, or Louis spoke. It didn’t take long, almost like Jamie could _feel_ Louis’ presence. The boy turned when it had been silent for too long. Noticing Louis, he waved.

“Hi, Mr. T!” Jamie grinned. Zayn’s mouth dropped. Jamie still had a bit of a problem speaking, so his ‘Mister’ came out more like ‘Mi’ter,’ and it shouldn’t be as endearing as it was, but the boy was _speaking_ to him. In _full sentences_!

“Hey, kiddo!” Louis greeted. “How’s grade four?”

“Okay.’ Jamie shrugged. “Mul’plication sucks.”

“Oh, I agree! There’s no point to it.”

“Don’t tell my son that!” Zayn squawked. “He needs to learn it.”

“Mr. T said, Baba,” Jamie chuckled. “Don’t need.”

“You _ignore_ , Mr. T, Jamil.”

“Why?” The boy whined.

‘Can discuss later.’ Zayn replied privately. He turned to Louis, voicing, “Lou, what did you need?”

“I was just bringing up a few papers from your box.”

“Oh,” Zayn smiled as he took the papers from his friend. “Thanks, mate.”

“No problem,” Louis grinned. “Bye, Jamie.” He waved at his past teacher as he left.

About five minutes later, Jamie was bored again, pestering Zayn to leave. Liam had taken a half day today to go with Lucas to the audiologist to have his implants turned up a level, so they boy wasn’t here to entertain Jamie. A blur at the edge of Zayn’s vision made him sigh, turning to look at his son.

‘Time go?’ Jamie signed, eyebrows raised hopefully.

“Jamie,” Zayn groaned. “Stop it. I have told you _six times_ that I have to get something finished before we leave. Either go outside and play or let me work.”

When Jamie didn’t leave, but he didn’t continue to bother Zayn, he let out a breath of relief. He turned back to his computer to update some documents for a student. He was having a meeting next week to discuss their progress and had several documents to get finished before he was ready. With a deadline of Monday morning, he needed to get this written so he could relax over the weekend.

A bit more than thirty minutes after he’d really been able to focus on his work, Zayn saved his document with a satisfied smile. He nodded to himself and started gathering his things.

“Alright, buddy,” Zayn said, glancing up at his son, who was curled over a piece of paper that looked like homework. “I’m going downstairs to drop off some papers, and when I come back, I’ll be ready to go. Find a stopping spot and pack up.” He ruffled his son’s hair as he walked by, and the boy immediately moved to fix it.

When Zayn got back, Jamie’s bag was packed, and he had his headphones stuffed in his ears. Calling his name didn’t get his attention, and Zayn made a mental note to have a conversation with Jamie about his music volume and how it can damage his hearing. He waved his hand, and Jamie’s eyes slowly rose from where he was fixated on his iPod.

‘Ready?’ Zayn signed. Jamie nodded, and followed his father out the door.

Back at home, with Lucas and Liam having already settled, Jamie immediately ran inside when Zayn put the car in park. The boy’s silence didn’t go unnoticed by Zayn, but he didn’t interrogate him. Hopefully, he would find his voice again before bedtime. It wasn’t a surprise when Liam confronted him about it.

The boy had come into the house and immediately pulled Lucas into his room where they played quietly for the entire afternoon. Lucas had, at first, been confused about Jamie’s sudden bouts of silence. The first few times he did it, Lucas had come to Zayn confused and said his battery had died, even when it wasn’t. That prompted the conversation of Jamie’s anxiety and that sometimes, he just doesn’t want to talk.

Lucas accepted it easily, and took it in stride whenever it happened, often mirroring the boy’s silence in hopes that it would help him feel better.

“Jamie is avoiding you,” Liam stated bluntly while they were clearing off the table after dinner. Jamie was in the shower and, with Lucas taking a break from his implant, they could have a private conversation.

“I know, but I don’t know _why_!” Zayn groaned.

“Well, what was the last thing you said to him?”

“I don’t _know_ , Liam. I’ve said plenty!” Zayn exclaimed. A silent gesture from Liam to quiet down had Zayn glancing at the foot of the stairs. He continued, albeit with a softer voice. “I think the last thing I told him was it was time to go home.”

“Alright, well that doesn’t help,” Liam murmured. Zayn could tell he was thinking out loud, so he didn’t respond. “What was the last thing he _voiced_?”

“I don’t remember what exactly, but he was talking to Louis.”

“Now, walk me through that conversation.” Liam said quietly.

“Okay, so, he was talking with Lou about multiplication, then I told him it was important because Louis said he never used it. Jamie asked me why he needed to learn it, and then Louis left. After that, he asked me for the thirty _millionth_ time when we were…” Zayn trailed off, then sighed.

“He’s going to be okay, Z,” Liam whispered.

“I know, but I hate to think that he made passed such a huge milestone today only to regress because of something _I_ said.”

“What happened today?” Liam’s voice rose in excitement like it always did when Jamie did something they didn’t expect.

“He had a conversation with Louis.”

“You said that. What do you mean?”

“He _voiced_ a conversation with Louis.” Zayn clarified.

“Like a full conversation?” Liam asked. When his husband nodded, he grinned, then it fell, and it was replaced with a thoughtful look. “Maybe he got overwhelmed from talking with Louis.”

“No, babe,” Zayn sighed. “It was my fault. I think I know why he’s upset.”

“Well, are you going to talk to him?” Zayn nodded, and moved towards the stairs. Lucas’ head perked up, and he smiled.

‘Jamie finish shower?’

‘Yes but need talk with him first.’ Zayn signed quickly when Lucas tried to follow him. ‘Alone, please.’ Lucas frowned, but he nodded and settled back down.

Zayn slowly climbed the stairs. He wasn’t too keen on the conversation he needed to have with Jamie. The boy _hated_ confrontation, but Zayn knew he’d go down a dark hole if Zayn didn’t talk it out with him. He got a flash of that first argument he had with Jamie about holding hands with Liam all those years ago. He had shut down for days and essentially stopped sleeping. Zayn didn’t want a repeat of that ever.

Passing by the bathroom, Zayn felt the heat from the damp air. Now that he knew Jamil was out, there was no going back. Zayn poked his head in to find Jamie reading on his bed. He had pushed himself back into the corner to lean against the wall, which was a red flag in Zayn’s book. Jamie preferred to read on his stomach, but he sat in corners when he felt anxious or upset. A quick observation told Zayn that the boy wasn’t really reading. His eyes were glassy and unfocused, and he never turned the page.

After a quick rap on the door, Jamie jumped. His eyes darted up to Zayn, and instantly dropped back down to the book.

“Can I come in? I think we need to talk about something.” A tense nod was his only response, but Zayn shuffled in to sit on the edge of the bed. He left a bit of space between them so Jamie wouldn’t be uncomfortable.

“Did I upset you earlier?” Zayn asked quietly. Jamie was still, and Zayn counted the seconds until a small shrug gave him all the information you needed. “Because I snapped at you?” Jamie let his book fall out of his lap. He tucked his arms inside the little ball he had made with his body and brought his hands up to hide his face.

“Look, buddy. I’m sorry that I upset you. I got frustrated, and I let my emotions get away from me.” Jamie brought one hand away to scrub at his nose, and Zayn studied his son’s face. He felt a pang of guilt when he saw tears well up in the boy’s eyes but decided to press forward.

“I rely on you a lot, you know? Especially with Lucas. You’re such a great role model for him, but sometimes I forget how young you are.” Jamie’s eyebrows furrowed. “You’re so smart, love, so mature. You make me so proud.” A tear streaked down Jamie’s pink cheek, but he didn’t make a sound.

“Jamie, I love you so much. Sometimes I’ll make you mad, though, or upset you, but I want you to try and remember that I will _never_ stop loving you. Ever.” Jamie’s eyes fluttered up to meet Zayn’s for a split second, but it made Zayn smile.

Zayn let the conversation lull. Jamie’s eyes had become unfocused again, like he was lost in thought. While allowing the silence to stretch between them, he was aware of the tension that had been present since he walked in had begun to dissipate. It took about five minutes before Jamie seemed to come back to himself, uncurling from the ball his body had formed.

“Are you okay?” Zayn asked softly. Jamie nodded, so Zayn shuffled a bit closer. They had only centimeters between them now, and Zayn leaned his back against the wall beside his son. “Are _we_ okay?”

Instead of answering, Jamie closed the distance between them and laid his head on Zayn’s shoulder. Zayn sighed in relief and threw his arm around the boy. It had only been a few hours since the start of Jamie’s bout of anxiety, but Zayn had grown quite accustomed to the sound of his boys’ voices. He found that he missed his older son’s voice.

“Will you talk to me?” Zayn’s voice was just above a whisper. Jamie didn’t reply in any way, like he was thinking. Then, he shook his head, and Zayn frowned.

‘Tomorrow.’ Jamie signed. He curled a bit closer to Zayn, closing his eyes.

“Ready for bed?” Jamie nodded against his chest. “Already brushed your teeth?” Another nod. With a smile, Zayn shuffled the sleepy boy down against the pillows. Jamie’s eyes barely fluttered open at the touch of Zayn’s lips to his forehead. When Zayn pulled back to turn the lights off, Jamie caught his wrist.

‘Lucas,’ The boy signed sleepily.

“I’ll send him in to say goodnight?” He wasn’t entirely sure if that’s what the boy was asking for but didn’t want to push him to communicate. Jamie nodded. “Okay, love, I will."

***

The next day, a Saturday, had the Malik-Payne family headed to one of Lucas’ footie games. It hadn’t taken long for Lucas to fall in love with the sport. One of Liam’s friends from work coached his nephew’s footie team, and when Liam had suggested it as a sport to help keep Lucas’ energy under control, the boy had immediately taken to it, and he ran circles around the pitch.

They had practices and games in the same small park about ten minutes from the house. When they had loaded up their stuff: equipment, lunch, and a ball for Jamie to kick around when he inevitably got bored, they all climbed into the car. It was a _huge_ park that had walking trails, a towering playground that had a slide ‘nearly as tall as their house!’ (Lucas’ words), and a water park. Since the games were early, Zayn and Liam had learned to bring a picnic-style lunch so the boys could run around and play out their energy after the game.

The more they had Lucas at home with them, the more they had become aware of the ‘problems’ that were so briefly discussed when they were looking to adopt him. It wasn’t obvious, the things the boy struggled with, not like they were with Jamie and his aversion to speaking and his visceral reaction to strangers. No, Lucas would simply shut down, and you wouldn’t know until he either came out of it in his own time or exploded with emotions that ranged from anger to fear to excitement, depending on the situation.

They had seen a specialist after the first few times that Liam and Zayn had suspected something not being quite right. While the man they had seen hadn’t been able to give them a firm diagnosis for their son, he had told them that the boy had shown symptoms of Sensory Processing Disorder, but not all. So, with their half-diagnosis and a few brochures about what to be on the lookout for, they went home to try and find a way to keep Lucas comfortable and Jamil calm.

Easy, right?

No.

While one symptom of SPD was being frequently overwhelmed by sights, sounds, tastes, smells, or textures, Lucas had a high tolerance for most of those things, with the exception of a combination of two: such as lights _and_ sounds at the same time. Actually, it seemed that different textures _helped_ Lucas to focus on something when he was distracted. Zayn had a quick talk with Lucas’ teacher about implementing some strategies in the classroom to help him concentrate, such as implant breaks or breaks from visual stimulus, as well as occasional breaks from the situation when he seemed upset.

Something during that conversation that had come up was his hyperactivity. While it was normal for kids to be hyper, Lucas was a whole different level. Having seen exactly what she was talking about while they were at home, Zayn agreed that his energy was through the roof. That brought up the topic of the younger boy joining a sport to help channel that energy into something productive, and thus, his football career began.

“C’mon, Lucas!” Liam yelled when the boy had run straight up to the ball, only to hesitate when he got closer. A gentle hand came and wrapped around the man’s calf. He glanced down and saw Jamie looking up at him from where he was sitting in the grass reading. The boy didn’t say anything, and he didn’t pick his hands up to sign, but the hand didn’t leave when his eyes dropped back down to scan the words on the page.

Liam remained aware of the soft presence of his quieter son, and he noticed his reactions easing in volume and intensity. Finally, _finally_ , Lucas gained control of the ball. A quiet but emphatic ‘ _Yes_ , buddy!’ from Liam caught Jamie’s attention, and he stood up. As Lucas fought his way closer to the goal, Jamie’s hand slipped into Liam’s.

The crowd erupted when Lucas’ foot kicked the ball into the back of the net. Next to him, Zayn was whooping and hollering with pride as Lucas jumped in excitement. The red headband that kept his implant secure against his brown hair was almost as stark of a contrast as the blinding white smile against his tan skin.

While the crowd was still murmuring with excitement from the goal, Liam was jostled as Jamie’s hand was pulled from his. Turning to make sure everything was okay, he caught sight of a young girl probably around Jamie’s age pulling on his other arm.

“This is boring. Come play on the playground with me!” She grinned at him. Jamie stumbled half a step towards her as he was tugged. Just as Liam was about to intervene, Jamie nodded.

“O-Okay,” Jamie told her, moving away from Liam. As if he was having second thoughts, Jamie paused with a finger held up at the girl and turned back to Liam.

“Can I play?” He asked Liam quietly.

“Of course,” Liam told him. Then, he waved his hand to get Jamie to focus. ‘Want me go?’ Jamie threw a look back at the little girl.

“No. I think…okay.”

“We’ll be here if you need us, and when the game is over, we’ll come get you.” Jamie nodded, then the girl grabbed his hand again, and they ran off. When the two settled down in the sand pit, they were still clearly in Liam’s view.

Over the next five or ten minutes, Liam alternated between watching Lucas and Jamie. While the girl was obviously chattering constantly, even from the distance, Liam could see the boy’s mouth moving intermittently.

“You’ve been uncharacteristically quiet.” Liam jumped at Zayn’s voice near his ear. “What’s wrong?”

“Look,” Liam whispered back, nodding his head in the direction of their older son. Liam could see the exact moment that Zayn recongised the shape of their son, and he then saw the look on his face when he noticed that the boy’s lips were moving; he was _talking_ to the girl.

“Who the hell is that?” Zayn hissed. Liam winced. He had half a thought that maybe he _shouldn’t_ have allowed Jamie to off with a strange kid. Then again, it was a _kid_ , and Liam had hardly taken his eyes off the pair.

“I, uh, well I don’t know her name,” Liam stuttered. “She just came up and asked him to play.”

Zayn sighed.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve asked,” Liam said. “I asked him if he wanted me to come with him, and he said no. I thought it would be fine, and I’m keeping an eye on them both!”

“I know, love,” Zayn took a deep breath and eased an arm around Liam’s waist. “I trust you and J, but we don’t know who she is. I would’ve liked to meet her parents before letting him go off and play with a stranger.” Liam nodded and pulled Zayn closer after he wrapped an arm around Zayn’s neck.

When the whistle blew to end the game, Lucas came running over.

“Win!” He shouted with a grin.

“I know, buddy! Good job!” Liam told him. Lucas glanced around, frowning.

“Jav-ee?” Lucas was having a bit of trouble with his ‘m’ sound, so Jamie’s name was voiced with the ‘v’ sound in place of the m.

“Jamie is playing with a new friend. We were just about to go join him.” Zayn chimed in, pointing to the pair.

“Oh,” Lucas said. He was interrupted before he could do anything past frown. His coach, Niall, had caught up to them.

“Hello, lads, Lucas,” Niall waved at the boy.

“Coa-sh!” Lucas greeted. “Hi.”

“What’s up?” Liam asked.

“Was wondering if I could join you? Heard you talking about going over to the sand pits.”

“Of course.”

“Sounds good. It looks like Jamie and Claire are getting along well.”

“Claire?”

“My daughter,” Niall said, pointing at the girl sitting on the opposite side of an impressive sandcastle from Jamie.

“Told you she wasn’t a threat, babe,” Liam snickered into his husband’s ear.

“Daddy!” Claire called when the small group got closer. “I made a friend!”

“I see that, darling. What’s his name?”

“His name is Jamil, but he says everyone just calls him Jamie.” Liam’s eyebrows raised, knowing that he didn’t introduce the two, so it must have been Jamie.

“Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Jamie!” Niall thrust out a hand to shake, and Jamie eyed it warily. A few moments later, however, he placed his trembling hand in the man’s larger one and shook it.

“Hi,” Jamie whispered. His eyebrows were knitted tightly together, but his eyes weren’t wide; he wasn’t beginning to get overwhelmed. The boy turned to his brother and waved at him to get his attention. ‘You win?’ He signed. This time, he didn’t voice.

“Yeah!” Lucas shouted. He launched himself into the sandpit next to his brother like he had been patiently waiting to be acknowledged in order to join. Jamie nodded and smiled.

Niall and Claire ended up joining their picnic, and the three kids played together while the three adults talked.

***

“Tom has 12 fish. He has some blue fish and 5 red fish. How many blue fish does he have?” Ms. Serrano asked Lucas as he sat in front of his teacher. It was math time, Lucas’ favourite time of day, but he didn’t seem himself. Over the last five or so minutes, his eyes were drooping, and his answers were lacking their typical thought.

“17.” Lucas told her.

“No,” Ms. Serrano told him. “He has 12 _in all_ , so what do we need to do to find the answer? Add or subtract?”

“Add.” Ms. Serrano shook her head, and Lucas corrected himself. “Sub’rac.”

“Yes! We need to subtract! So, how many blue fish does he have?”

“Umm,” Lucas thought. He tapped on his fingers, muttering numbers under his breath, and said again, “17.”

“No, buddy,” Ms. Serrano sighed. “Remember, you’re subtracting?”

“Oh yeah.” He thought for another moment. “7.”

“Yes!” Ms. Serrano smiled at him. “Now, a new problem: Maya has 4 pink bows and 5 purple bows. How many bows does she have _in all_?”

“1.”

“The words ‘in all’ tell me I’m going to do what? Add or subtract?”

“I don’t _know_ ,” The boy exclaimed, throwing his hands up.

“Yes, you do.”

“Add?”

“Yes! So, how many bows does she have in all?”

“10.”

“Try again, buddy.” Lucas groaned loudly and slammed his head on the table. Ms. Serrano called his name and he picked it up. A quick nudge had Lucas answering, correctly this time.

“9.”

“Yes!” Ms. Serrano noticed the boy’s eyes droop again and she tapped the table to get his attention again. “Go take a walk, yeah? Up and down the hall.”

Lucas nodded and slowly got up from his seat. He shuffled out of the room and Ms. Serrano took a breath. Tomorrow was the principal’s birthday, so she had gotten a card for the kids to sign. Earlier in the day, she had also gotten pictures of all her kids, each holding up a different letter of “Happy Birthday.”

While Lucas was gone, she carefully arranged the photo in the frame. All that was left was getting the kids to sign the card. Just as she was getting everything gathered, Lucas came back through the door looking much more awake.

“Baba say nee’ wa’e up!” Lucas chuckled.

“You look much more awake; that’s good.”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve got some math for you. You have about fifteen minutes until it’s time to go. Ready?” Lucas nodded, so she placed his independent work in front of him. They were working on adding and subtracting within 20, but now that Lucas was reading pretty well on his own, he was working on word problems, and identifying whether to add or subtract.

Towards the end of the day, with people coming in and getting ready to leave, the classroom was always hectic. As a general rule in the deaf ed classroom, their day ended at three, fifteen minutes before the actual bell to dismiss, because of all the people puttering around in the room.

Lucas was still working on his math assignment when Bella, one of the other students, came in with her interpreter. Immediately, Lucas was distracted, chatting with Bella. After allowing it for about a minute or two, Ms. Serrano moved over to get Lucas to focus again. She brought the picture frame, along with the card so Bella could sign it. She had been in class all day, so she was the last signature needed before they could take it to the principal.

“I feel bad, like maybe we should get some balloons, you know?” Ms. Serrano chuckled.

“I could run up to the corner store and grab some. I bet they have balloons!” The interpreter offered.

“Let’s get the kids in the cars and then, yes. That would be perfect.”

Ms. Serrano walked over to Lucas’ desk, where he was still talking with Bella. She waved at Bella, who was fully deaf, and got her attention, signing with the hand that wasn’t holding her gifts.

‘He need work now. Talk later, okay?’

Like it was in slow motion, Lucas flung his arms up dramatically like he did several times when something didn’t go his way. Ms. Serrano felt the jolt when his hand connected with the wooden frame in her hands. Bella, Lucas, and Ms. Serrano watched the frame slip from her hand and begin it’s decent. They were still watching, frozen, when the wooden frame crashed onto the floor and broke. The three of them stared at the broken pieces on the floor for a few seconds before Ms. Serrano shook herself.

“Do you think these could be glued?” Ms. Serrano asked, signing as habit. She handed the broken frame to the interpreter, who studied it closely.

“I don’t think so, no,” She said awkwardly, shaking her head. “I could see if they have frames at the corner store, too!” She exclaimed.

“Yes, please!”

Once the kids had gone, and Lucas was waiting for his brother to come get him, the interpreter left to run to the store. Lucas still hadn’t finished his math, and he had laid his head down on his desk like he was going to take a nap. Ms. Serrano called his name, but he didn’t react, so she walked over to tap him on the shoulder.

“Lucas,” She said. When there was still no response, she tapped harder and spoke louder. “Lucas. You need to finish your work.” He didn’t pick his head up, and he didn’t respond except to wrap his arms tighter around his head, so she shrugged. Before she could sit back down at her desk, Jamie burst into the room with a smile on his face. It instantly fell when he saw his brother.

‘Wrong?’ He asked.

“I’m not sure. He won’t pick his head up.” Ms. Serrano shrugged again. “Feel free to try.”

Jamie tapped the boy on the shoulder softly, and Lucas shifted as if to shrug him off. Jamie huffed, but tapped him on the shoulder harder. The reaction he got was not what was expected, though. Without lifting his head up, Lucas ripped his implant off and flung it on the floor. Shocked from the reaction, Jamie had jumped away, but moved back to tap on his shoulder.

The second Jamie’s fingers touched Lucas the boy began to scream. Jamie jumped back again and threw a scared look at the teacher.

“How about you walk down and get your dad, yeah?” Ms. Serrano’s voice was calm, andJamie nodded, eyes wide, and fled from the room.

Only minutes later, Ms. Serrano heard feet moving rapidly down the hall. Zayn turned the corner, followed by Jamie, and immediately moved to his younger son.

“What happened?”

“I’m not entirely sure, to be honest. He was sleepy earlier, and that’s what I thought it was, but I’m not sure why he’s yelling.” The boy in question was, indeed, still screaming.

Zayn scooped up the discarded implant from the floor and moved closer to his son. With a quick move, he pressed it to his head and shifted it minutely until it magnetized.

“Lucas,” Zayn said calmly. At the noise, Lucas’ screams rose in volume and he ripped the device off his skull once again. Now, however, his hand moved to cover up the place that the magnet attached to, so Zayn wouldn’t be able to use that trick again.

“Jamie, will you grab his backpack, please?” Zayn sighed. The quiet boy nodded and pulled the purple backpack out of his brother’s locker and slung it over his shoulder. Zayn knelt down next to the younger boy and scooped him up. Almost instantly, the boy’s screams quieted to soft whimpers and sniffles, like Zayn’s body was familiar enough that he could calm down. He wrapped his arms tightly around Zayn and buried his head in his dad’s neck. His shaky breathing made goosebumps raise on Zayn’s skin, and the man ran a soothing hand over the upset child’s back.

“I’ll calm him down and let you know what’s wrong. Is it okay if I take him? Was he working on anything?”

“He was finishing his math, but it’s okay. He can finish tomorrow.”

“Okay, we’ll be in my room if you need anything.”

Zayn settled in his teacher chair with Lucas’ legs on either side of his hips. He kept a hand on the boy’s back but settled in to continue his work while he let the boy calm down. The room was completely silent apart from the clacking of his keys since he’d sent Jamie outside with several complaints.

It took about fifteen minutes before Lucas sniffled and raised his blotchy face from where it had been tucked against Zayn’s throat. His skin there was sticky from tears, but it didn’t faze him at all.

‘Wrong?’ Zayn asked the boy, wiping his damp cheeks.

‘Broke give.’ He told him miserably, looking away from Zayn’s face. Zayn nudged him to get his attention back.

‘Don’t-understand.’ Zayn frowned. ‘What give?’

‘Serrano give for woman.’ Lucas’ eyes were sad, and it hurt Zayn to not understand his son.

‘Sorry,’ Zayn told the boy. ‘Don’t-understand.’ The boy sniffled again, and Zayn pulled the small boy toward his chest, feeling the tension ease immediately. Lucas’ hands came up to twist his hair around a finger, a sign that he was thinking. He sat back and, with a thoughtful look on his face, tried again.

‘Woman, I-don’t-know name. She today party.’

‘We need talk Serrano, I-think.” Zayn told him with a sheepish smile. Lucas’ eyes widened, and he shook his head, but Zayn nodded and stood, still holding the boy. He tucked his face back into Zayn’s neck and didn’t lift it.

While he walked down the hall, he reviewed the conversation with Lucas in his mind, still unable to come up with a translation that made sense. He knocked softly on the door when he arrived, and nudged the door open with his foot to walk in.

“Hey,” Zayn greeted the woman.

“Everything okay?”

“Yes and no.” Zayn said awkwardly. “He told me what was wrong, but I don’t understand what he’s saying.” He set Lucas down on his feet and sighed when the boy clung to him. He forced his son to take a step back and looked him in his eyes. They watered, pleading with Zayn. Instead, he pointed to the boy’s teacher. Slowly, like he was hoping to waste enough time that it would be too late to discuss, he turned to the young woman.

She beckoned the boy, voicing for Zayn’s benefit, “Come here.” The boy being summoned shook his head and curled into himself, sniffling as he backed up against Zayn’s thighs. His breaths hiccupped when she crooked her finger again, but still, he denied.

“Breathe, Lucas.” Ms. Serrano said calmly. “Take a breath.” The boy took a stuttering breath to mirror her and took half a step closer. She held out a hand and Lucas hesitated before taking it, letting the woman pull him closer.

“What’s wrong?” She asked him. “Why are you upset?”

‘Broke gift.’ He told her, repeating what he had told his father.

“Did I yell at you for that?” Ms. Serrano asked. “Did I get onto you for breaking the picture frame?”

‘No.’

“Because I _don’t_ and _didn’t_ blame you.” She told him. “Sometimes, things just happen. Sometimes it isn’t anyone’s fault. It’s okay, Lucas.” The boy nodded and turned to look at Zayn.

“It’s okay, buddy.” Zayn whispered. He felt a bit silly, voicing when he knew the boy couldn’t hear him, but it was okay because Lucas’ hesitant smile filled his chest with enough warmth to counteract the weirdness.

After a full explanation about what had happened, the conversation he’d had with Lucas _did_ make sense. He had broken the gift to the principal and had felt guilty about it. When the interpreter showed up with several colourful balloons and a new picture frame, Lucas got to go down and hand it to the principal himself.

When Zayn had sent Lucas to fetch his brother from the playground after that, both boys came back in with smiles on their faces, signing happily.

Home again, and settled on the couch as a foursome, the little family turned their attention to the movie that Liam had picked out. Of course, he had chosen a superhero movie, popping in _Iron Man_ as soon as it was announced that it was his turn to pick the film.

Since the events of this afternoon, Lucas had left his implant off. He had briefly explained to Liam what had happened with a promise to go into more detail later that evening. Liam had tucked the boy against his side the second he had climbed onto the couch next to him, a protective arm thrown around him while Zayn and Jamie had settled down beside him.

Liam kissed Lucas’ temple and scrubbed a hand through Jamie’s long, dark hair. Zayn tugged at the neck of his shirt until he leaned over to connect their lips. With his husband and his boys next to him, Liam felt like everything would always workout no matter what, even if there were a few bumps along the way.

**Author's Note:**

> I love being able to educate even a small part of the world on what it’s like to communicate with a deaf child. They are so expressive, and all they want to do is be understood, but with people who aren’t native signers, or are not familiar with their unique way of communication, there is essentially a language barrier. Even when people are familiar with each other, there is still occasionally a disconnect when it comes to sign language because many signs mean different things or there are several signs for one thing. That makes the language intricately beautiful and frustrating.  
> I will never not tell someone who is even remotely interested in learning sign to not go through with it. It is a beautiful language and opens you up to a whole new world of people and a completely different culture.


End file.
